Into the Woods
by MistyMae
Summary: Serena and Hanssen take a short cut to get to a weekend conference. After some bad luck, they find themselves in the middle of something very sinister with no way out.
1. Chapter 1

**This is something a little different. Hope you like it.x**

"What was that?" Serena Campbell asked as she heard a strange sound coming from the front of Henrik Hanssen's vehicle.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Henrik answered, not even bothering to look at her. They had both been getting on each other's nerves for the most part of the week and then with the weekend conference on the management and prevention of antibiotic resistance being sprung on them at the last minute, it had just about been the last straw for both of them. Serena couldn't understand why Henrik couldn't go alone and Henrik couldn't understand how the clinical executive director could possibly wish to miss such an important conference. Matters had been made worse when the nursing staff threatened to walk out due to the weekend rota having to change.

Serena sighed heavily. The last thing she needed on a Friday afternoon after an incredibly chaotic week was to be stuck at some conference with Mr-Sushi-And-Bonsai-Tree-Hanssen. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she reached down for her handbag which she had carelessly dumped at her feet and rummaged through it for her mobile phone. After a flash of panic, she managed to find it right at the bottom of everything. There was a missed call from Ric Griffin and a text message from her daughter, informing her that she was going to stay over at her boyfriend's house. The idea of her seventeen year old daughter in a relationship still got her riled up for some reason. It seemed like only yesterday that she was a sweet and innocent six year old. She was about to call Ric back when she realized what it was about; she had given Malik permission to take over one of his long term patients. She dropped her phone back into a side pocket, not feeling like getting into an argument with the man again. She'd had enough conflict for one week.

"Oh great," Henrik sighed as he noticed the traffic jam ahead.

"So much for getting an early start," Serena groaned.

"This must be everyone heading away for the weekend."

"Yep, I'm sure they're not on their way to a weekend conference," Serena sighed. "Because other people actually _have_ lives."

Henrik was about to engage in one of his explanatory lectures when he glanced over at the woman beside him and realized the futility in it. She was as tired as he was and clearly in no mood. He sighed, glancing at the Satnav that he rarely used. Perhaps there was a faster way. He brought the car to a stop, waiting in the queue and quickly reached for the device, typing in their destination. He turned the radio off, half hearing the news reporter saying something about a missing young woman. There was another route; one that looked decidedly more scenic than the motorway. Without giving it a second thought, he started moving out into the far left lane.

Serena gave him a questioning look.

"This should shave off some time from our journey," Henrik answered, turning off of the motorway and heading down towards a country road.

"Yeah, have you ever taken this route?" Serena asked sceptically.

"That's the whole point of the Satnav, Ms Campbell," Henrik mumbled.

Serena smirked, folding her arms across her chest. This was going to be interesting.

Henrik ignored the woman beside him. How a woman like her could have such an effect on him, he would never know. Not even Connie Beauchamp had been able to rile him as much. She somehow knew exactly how to get under his skin. Not only did he not trust her, but he wasn't entirely sure that he _liked_ her either.

They had both run out of conversation a few miles after leaving Holby City and neither were exactly open to discussing their personal lives, so it left them with an awkward silence.

Serena reached into her handbag and brought out her tablet on which she had been completing a management report for the hospital. It seemed like the perfect time to continue with it. At least she wouldn't have to sit down on Sunday evening and finish it.

Henrik glanced over at her, noticing her get down to work. That was one thing he admired; she was excellent with completing the tasks assigned to her and she knew exactly what she was doing. She had indeed taken on a lot of his work after they had discussed 'sharing the workload' and he could not fault her on her speed and efficiency.

Serena had been busy typing her report for the good part of an hour when she heard the same sound from earlier coming from the engine. She looked up from the screen on her lap. It was slowly but surely starting to get dark. She was about to continue her work when the car started jerking and Henrik slowed them right down until they rolled to a stop on the side of the road.

"Oh please tell me you're joking," Serena turned to Henrik who looked thoroughly annoyed.

Henrik ignored her and tried to start the engine. It made an odd rumbling sound and then died. He tried once again to no avail.

Serena tied to suppress her amusement as Henrik popped the bonnet open and climbed out to take a closer look. She saved her work, noticing the internet signal in the far corner of the screen was non-existent. Not thinking about it, she replaced the tablet in her handbag and climbed out of the passenger's side, walking around to the front of the car until she was standing beside Henrik who was staring down at the engine.

"Did you check your oil?" She asked.

"Of course," Henrik answered, almost irritated by the obvious question.

"Water?"

"Ms Campbell, I had everything checked this morning before I reached Holby City."

Serena sighed. "We should have taken my car."

Henrik bent down to examine the engine for a few seconds before straightening up again, rubbing his chin.

"You have no idea what's wrong, do you?" Serena looked at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"No," Henrik responded, glancing down at her.

Serena shook her head as she chuckled and headed back to the passenger's seat to retrieve her mobile phone. "Fortunately we're in a first world country where off road breakdowns are easily . . ." Serena paused.

Henrik frowned as his usually vocal colleague suddenly grew silent. He closed the bonnet.

"Please tell me _you_ have a signal," she turned to him, her phone in her hand.

Henrik tried to hide the panic in his face as he pulled his mobile out of his jacket pocket. There were no bars on the screen, but he tried his luck anyway, only to be met with a 'You could not be connected. Please try again' automated voice.

Serena's mouth dropped open. "Oh, you are _joking_."

"Well, I'm sure we're not too far from someone's residence. Perhaps we can use their landline."

Serena looked around, waving her arms around for dramatic effect. "Funny," she snorted. "I don't seem to see any lights emanating from a housing area. _Do you, Henrik_?"

Henrik decided to ignore her condescending tone, putting it down to her bad mood and new found situation. "I'll go find a phone. You can wait here," he started heading down the road.

Under normal circumstances, Serena would have been more than pleased at the thought of Henrik having to walk a few miles, but she wasn't entirely excited about the idea of being left alone on a deserted road in the dark. "Wait," she called out after him, grabbing her handbag and reaching over to retrieve the keys from the driver's side. She locked the car, surprised that Henrik was actually waiting for her as she passed his keys to him. Perhaps he didn't like the idea of walking around in the middle of nowhere either.

"Let's hope we don't have to hitch a lift with someone," Serena finally spoke.

"We'd be lucky if anyone comes down this road," Henrik answered.

"That's comforting," Serena said. "They never taught you sensitivity when you were growing up, did they?"

"I could ask you the same question," Henrik hit back.

Serena glared at him. "This is all farmland. We'll be lucky no one tries to shoot us if we find a house."

"In case you've forgotten, we're not in the United States, Ms Campbell."

"I am quite aware of that, Mr Hanssen," Serena snapped. "I'm not _that_ old."

"Yet," Henrik heard himself say.

"Oh like you have room to talk, Mr Prehistoric-Hanssen."

Henrik couldn't help but smile at this.

"You're a year my senior, so if I were you, I'd just keep quiet," she smiled. This was probably the first light hearted moment they'd shared all week and it felt quite good not being at each other's throats for a change.

"Ah, over there," Henrik pointed to a light shining through the trees and immediately started making his way through the undergrowth.

"Uh, maybe we should keep walking until we reach the road that leads down to that house."

"No need," Henrik called back. "We can cut through the woods."

Serena glanced hesitantly around her before following the tall man into the woods. "For the record, I think this is a bad idea."

"I'll be sure to remember your objection upon our demise."

"Very funny," Serena smirked, increasing her pace to keep up with Henrik. She nearly tripped over a root and had to adjust her eyesight to the darkness. This was definitely not what she had expected when Henrik had informed her that she would no longer be enjoying her weekend at home, but would instead be taking notes at a conference which would probably make more sense to a health and safety officer or a virologist. Serena pushed through the trees and paused, looking around for a familiar figure.

"Mr Hanssen?" She called, listening for a reply. All she needed now was to get lost in the woods. "Mr Hans. . ."

"Here," Henrik said as he stepped out from behind a tree.

Serena let out a little yelp and spun away from him, covering her eyes in fright.

"I apologize if I frightened you," Henrik said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Serena turned back to the man who was now standing in front of her and openly trying not to laugh. She gently punched his arm. "Jesus Christ, Henrik."

It was the first time she had actually touched him and he found it ironic how she had lost her professional facade after being frightened. "Shall we continue?"

"Please," Serena motioned for him to go ahead.

"I'm a little curious," Henrik started as they headed further into the woods.

"About what?" She asked cautiously.

"Do you honestly think covering your eyes will prevent an assailant from attacking you?"

Serena snorted, realizing that Henrik was teasing her. She tried to answer, but could only chuckle at the image of her covering her eyes instead of defending herself. "I thought my reflexes were cat-like."

"More child-like, I would say."

Serena couldn't help but laugh. "Let's just find a landline."

* * *

They had been walking for about thirty minutes when Henrik stopped dead in front of Serena and she practically fell into him.

"For God sake, Henrik," Serena grumbled as she regained her balance. "Give me some warning next time."

"Sssssh," Henrik hissed, raising his hand to motion for her not to move.

"What is it?" She whispered, moving to stand beside him.

"What part of ssssssh do you not understand, Ms Campbell?"

"Oh I don't know," Serena whispered sarcastically. "Some people tend to use their _words_ when they communicate."

Henrik carefully took a step forward to get a closer look at the small cottage in front of them. The lights were on and there was a fire burning in a metal container a few metres away from the front door. It didn't smell like anyone was barbequing. He had been quite happy to walk up to the residents to ask for access to their phone until he had noticed the rifle lying neatly against the wall next to the front door.

"What are we waiting for?" Serena brushed passed him, clearly not noticing the weapon.

Henrik grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"What the . . ." she fell silent as someone pushed through the front door. It was a large man with an excessive amount of dark facial hair. He scooped up the rifle and hung it over his shoulder.

Henrik felt Serena take a step back, her breath catching slightly as she saw the weapon. He had wondered if he was being paranoid, but clearly Serena had gotten the same feeling as he had initially. Something was not right about this place.

They both watched as the man spat something out into the dirt and then continued towards the barn.

"I don't like this," Serena whispered. "I think we should leave. I'm more than happy to keep walking down the main road."

Henrik nodded and was about to turn around when another man appeared around the corner of the house. He was younger than the first and carrying quite a large axe in one hand and had a bottle of whiskey in his other. He paused next to the fire, sipping his whiskey from the bottle.

Serena felt the hairs on the back on her neck rise. This place did not feel safe. There was something incredibly wrong here.

Henrik held his breath as the man turned and faced their direction. He squinted into the darkness and then started making his way towards them. Serena gripped Henrik's arm as if to drag him through the woods with her.

"Jake!" A man's voice called out from the barn. The younger man immediately turned and started heading towards the barn.

Henrik let out a sigh of relief. "I think that's our cue to leave," he whispered to Serena who was more than happy to get going. He turned and started moving through the undergrowth when he felt Serena's grip tighten on his arm. She was frozen in place. He turned to look at her, his stomach knotting as he noticed the fear in her eyes. Following her gaze, he saw it too. A young woman's body had been dragged from the barn and was lying face down in the dirt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews. This is taking a bit of a strange turn, but hopefully it'll make sense soon. Hope you all like it.x**

"For the love of God, please tell me that's not a body," Serena whispered, her eyes glued to the scene in front of her.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Henrik answered. "But it certainly looks like one."

"Right," Serena breathed. "What do you suggest we do?"

Henrik glanced back at her. "I can't exactly say I've ever been in this position before, Ms Campbell, so I'm not sure what to tell you."

"Good Director of Surgery _you_ are," Serena huffed.

"This isn't exactly a surgical scenario, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I'm not _blind_."

Henrik took a deep breath. "Let's just try to remain calm."

"_Calm_?" Serena asked incredulously, motioning towards the scene unfolding in front of them. "This kind of scenario does not dictate _calm_."

Henrik ignored her once again. The last thing he needed was for them both to lose their heads in the middle of an emergency. "We need to contact the police."

"Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, we don't have a signal," Serena answered sarcastically.

They both fell silent as the older man lit up a cigarette and watched Jake take the woman's arms and start dragging her towards the house.

"Any opportunity we had to leave has now passed," Henrik noted as they watched the man move towards them.

Serena found herself holding her breath and standing as still as possible. It was dark, but she was still concerned that they would be able to see them. She focused her gaze on the woman's body. Jake had let her arms drop to the ground as he placed his axe against the metal container. It was difficult to tell, but it certainly seemed like the woman was still alive. Serena glanced up at Henrik who was watching the older man who was still strolling around outside the barn and tried to get his attention by tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. He turned to her and she pointed at the body. "Is she alive?" She mouthed; too scared to actually say anything in case they heard her.

Henrik turned to look at the body. It looked like her back was rising ever so slightly as she was trying to breathe. He nodded at Serena whose eyes widened in response.

"We have to do something," Serena whispered and started instinctively moving towards the woman's body.

Henrik put his arm out to stop her. They would be of no help if they ended up getting themselves killed. "Wait," he whispered.

They watched as Jake returned to the young woman and physically lifted her up. Her face was covered in blood and dirt. He lifted her over his shoulder and carried her up the stairs and through the front door. The older man had slammed the barn door shut and was making his way over to the house. He tossed his cigarette bud to the ground, stomping on it as he headed up the stairs and through the front door.

"Okay," Serena breathed. "So we're on the same page here?"

"I think it's safe to assume that this girl is in danger," Henrik nodded, knowing exactly what Serena was talking about.

"Suggestions?"

"One of us can head back to the road for assistance or . . ."

"No, see, this is exactly why people die in horror movies," Serena suddenly said. "They always split up."

"So you're saying we head back to the road together?"

"Absolutely."

Henrik glanced back at the house one last time before nodding and motioning for Serena to get moving. Serena stumbled through the undergrowth, moving as fast as she could.

"We live on an island," Serena finally spoke when she was convinced that they were no longer in earshot of the house. "There has got to be a town or a house or something around here."

Henrik said nothing, following her towards the road.

"God, I can't help imagining what they're doing to that woman."

"Probably for the best if we don't think about it," Henrik finally said.

"How can you be so calm?" Serena asked, genuinely surprised. Her heart was practically in her throat.

"It's my cool exterior," Henrik answered.

Serena paused, turning to face him. "You decide to get a sense of humour in a life or death situation?"

Henrik just brushed passed her in response.

She glanced back before following him through the darkness. It took them half the time to get to the main road, but then they had been speed marching through the undergrowth.

"Left or right?"

"Left," Henrik answered. "It's certain to take us to a town."

Serena couldn't be bothered to argue and just followed him down the road as she once again checked her mobile phone. There was still no signal.

They had been walking for about a mile when they noticed the headlight of a vehicle moving towards them. "It's about time," Serena mumbled as she watched Henrik attempt to wave the van down.

The driver pulled over immediately, much to their surprise. "Evening," he greeted them through the window. The man in the passenger seat just stared back at them.

"Apologies for stopping you," Henrik said in his usual formal manner. "Our car broke down and we're in a bit of a predicament seeing as we seem to have no mobile reception."

"Yeah, we don't use those things around here much," the man answered as he looked passed Henrik and at Serena. "We're not very . . . posh around here."

"We need to contact the police," Serena said. "We believe a young woman is being held against her will in a nearby house."

"Well, we can't have that," the man smiled at her, his eyes fixated on her.

Henrik noticed the way he was looking at her and stepped in front of his view. "We would very much appreciate it if you could drop us off at the nearest police station."

"Oh absolutely," the man nodded. "Tom, help our guests."

A man in his late twenties climbed out of the passenger seat and held the back door open, motioning for Serena to get in.

She glanced up at Henrik and hesitantly got into the back seat. Tom climbed in beside her, leaving Henrik no choice but to get into the front passenger's side.

"Thank you for your assistance," Henrik said, glancing back at Tom in the side window. The man was staring right back at him. "I didn't catch your name."

"Billy," the driver answered.

Serena felt incredibly uncomfortable and felt like berating herself for allowing them to get into this situation. They should have kept walking.

"Where is the nearest police station?" She heard Henrik ask and for once, she felt some kind of relief at his presence.

"I'm taking a shortcut," the man answered.

Henrik glanced at him and noticed him glance in his rear view mirror, watching Serena closely. He didn't like the way the man looked at her and felt strangely protective of her.

They remained quiet as Billy turned onto a dirt road.

Serena had a bad feeling about this and clearly so did Henrik as he glanced back at her.

"We don't want you to go out of your way," Henrik started. "If you give us directions, we'll be more than happy to walk the rest of the way."

"I couldn't leave you and the lady," he glanced back at Serena again. "In the dark and in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Serena answered.

"Oh I couldn't do that in good conscience. What kind of a Christian man would that make me?"

"Honestly, if you just drop us here . . ." Serena paused as Tom lifted a shotgun from underneath the front seat.

Henrik glanced back at Serena who had suddenly fallen quiet. She had that same fear he had seen earlier in her eyes. "Serena?"

Tom was directing the shotgun right at Henrik. If he pulled the trigger, the bullet would pass straight through the seat and into him. Serena looked at Tom who shook his head slowly as if to say 'If you say anything, I'll kill him'. "It's fine," she mumbled, catching his gaze, attempting a small smile.

Henrik seemed to understand not to push the matter and turned his attention back to the road in front of him, realizing that he needed to try and figure out where they were going.

As Billy pulled into a driveway, Henrik's stomach turned. It was the same house that they had been trying desperately to get away from.

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements," Billy suddenly said. "Tom has a shotgun directed at your spine."

Henrik's head snapped around to face Billy.

"One shot and you're dead. I'm sure wifey won't be too pleased," he smiled back at Serena who looked nervously at Henrik. Billy parked the car and got out of the driver's seat, opening the back door and pulling Serena out.

"Please," Serena heard herself say as he dragged her out of the car and towards the house.

"You shouldn't be spying on people," Billy whispered into her ear.

She glanced back at the car and could see Henrik climbing out of the car with Tom right behind him. Tom was checking Henrik's pockets. "Billy," Tom called.

Billy put his chin on the top of Serena's head, squeezing her body against his. "It's alright. Don't be scared," he whispered again. His breath against her face sent a shiver down her spine.

"Billy!"

"What?" Billy called back, clearly aggravated at being interrupted.

"This one's a doctor," Tom called.

"Well aren't we lucky?" Billy released his grip on Serena. "We could do with a doctor."

"We should let Jake know."

"Your husband's going to help my friend," Billy smiled at Serena. "And if he messes up, you get to watch me kill him."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the brilliant reviews. Sorry if this scares anyone! I promise it won't be as bad as it seems.x**

Henrik stepped into a darkened room, acutely aware of Billy and Tom's presence behind him as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could just about make out the figure of a man lying on a single bed. He was wheezing badly and obviously struggling to breathe.

"Mike had a bit of an accident the other night," Billy explained. "And now he's in luck because he gets his own private doctor."

"Actually I'm a doctor too," Serena heard herself say and immediately regretted it.

"Two doctors? Aren't we lucky?" Billy put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to Mike.

"Maybe she should see if she can help the girl," Tom said from the doorway.

Billy glared back at him. "Our family comes first."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling things here," Henrik said as he began to examine Billy.

"Well, then, Tom, maybe you can take our lady doctor to see the girl," Billy released his hold on her and turned his attention to Henrik and Mike.

"Thanks a lot," Serena mumbled to Henrik as she followed Tom out of the room and into the hallway. She still felt completely out of her element, but she knew as long as Mike was alive, they would most likely keep them both in reasonable health. "So, what happened to Mike?"

Tom glanced back at her. "He was in a car accident."

"Right," Serena nodded, proceeding up the staircase as Tom stood back and waited for her. She had just arrived on the landing when she caught sight of the young woman's body on the floor, covered in a dirty blanket. She instantly moved towards her and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but she was definitely alive. "What happened to her?"

"She was in an accident," Tom answered.

"Another accident," Serena mumbled, as she carefully checked the girl's pupils. "Has someone given her any medication?"

"I gave her a little something to stop the pain," Tom answered, staring down at the floor, as if he was embarrassed by his admission.

"I need to know exactly what happened to her."

"She got hit by a car."

"Whose car?" Serena asked, even though she already had an inkling.

Tom was silent for a moment before finally answering her. "Mike hit her. It was an accident."

"Why didn't you just take her to the hospital?" Serena asked, trying to see where most of the bleeding stemmed from.

"Insurance."

"_Insurance_?" She hissed. "You were leaving her to die because of _insurance_?"

Tom shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was clearly uncomfortable about the situation.

"Okay, I need water and towels," Serena finally said. "I need to clean her wounds. I can barely see anything."

"I'm not allowed to leave you alone."

"I'm not exactly going anywhere," Serena snapped. "I have an injured patient."

Tom seemed to quietly consider this for a moment before deciding that she wasn't going to run off.

Serena had to fight off the urge to run and get help, but in the middle of the night, she was definitely not going to get anywhere alone and she couldn't leave Henrik or her patient behind. The thought frustrated her, but she knew her conscience would never allow her to abandon them.

After examining the young woman and cleaning her wounds, she had ascertained that the woman had some badly broken ribs and a broken leg. Other than that, her injuries were mainly superficial. "You're going to be okay," Serena whispered into the young woman's ear.

"Tom!" Bill called from downstairs. "Bring the lady doctor!"

Tom glanced at the unconscious woman and then back at Serena. "We best get going."

Serena wasn't happy about leaving the young woman alone again, but got to her feet and headed down the stairs. Just before she reached the bottom, Tom took hold of her arm.

"Did you mean what you said?"

"About what?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About the girl going to be okay," He said. He looked genuinely concerned.

"If she gets to a hospital, she'll be fine."

Tom nodded, releasing his gentle grip on her arm.

"But somehow I don't see your . . . family," she spat the word out as though it were poison. "Wanting to help her."

"Maybe not," he answered. The caring look in his eyes betrayed his scary demeanour. "And they're _not_ my family."

_We can use him_, Serena thought as she stepped into the room at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes immediately searched the room for Henrik who was leaning over Mike. She noticed him look up at her, running his eyes over her; obviously concerned that something had happened to her while they had been separated. Serena gave him a small, reassuring smile before moving towards him and kneeling beside him. "How's the patient?" She asked, aware of Billy's eyes on her.

"Broken ribs, a severe onset on pneumonia," Henrik replied. "How's the girl?"

"Not in as bad a situation," she answered, glancing at Tom.

"Are you okay?" He asked, taking another look at her.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him.

"Isn't this a tender moment?" Billy moved towards them. "Now, tell me how you're going to save Mike's life."

"You need to get him to a hospital," Henrik answered. "You don't have the resources to save his life here."

"Out of the question!" Billy shouted.

Serena jumped at the change of his tone, annoyed at herself for showing a sign of weakness.

Billy reached down and shoved Henrik to the floor, quickly advancing on him. "You will do what I tell you to do!"

Serena found herself reaching out to help him back up as quickly as she could.

"Billy," Tom called from the doorway. "Don't do anything stupid."

"_Stupid_?" Billy hissed, spinning around to face the younger man. "Did you just call me _stupid_?" He shoved the younger man out of the room, slamming the door behind him as the sound of flesh hitting flesh became louder.

"These people are insane," she turned to Henrik. "We need to get out of here."

"Easier said than done, unfortunately."

"The girl upstairs needs to be admitted to hospital," Serena whispered. "I think Tom can be swayed to help us."

"Not if Billy kills him," Henrik motioned towards the closed door.

Serena nodded and moved towards the door, reaching for the handle.

"Not the best of ideas, Ms Campbell," Henrik said as his hand enclosed around hers and pulled her away from the door. It had fallen silent outside. They both listened as footsteps approached and the door swung open. Billy appeared again, his eyes large and his fist bleeding.

Serena glanced passed him at Tom who was leaning against the wall with blood dripping down his face. He avoided eye contact with her.

"I think we should all have a little bit of a rest," Billy said, his eyes once again on Serena.

Henrik noticed it and moved in front of her, in an effort to protect her.

Billy smiled at the gesture. "Don't worry, I won't take what's yours . . . yet."

The words sent a shiver down Serena's spine and she found herself moving closer to Henrik.

"Tom, why don't you start carrying your own weight around here and take our guests out to the shed?"

Tom nodded, but didn't say anything as he motioned with his shotgun for Serena and Henrik to move outside. They headed out the front door and down the stairs towards the barn with Tom right behind them.

"Night, night," Billy whispered into Serena's ear as they left the house. She tightened her grip on Henrik's arm.

Serena waited until they were far enough from the house before she spoke. "Are you okay?" She asked Tom, putting on her most caring face.

Tom nodded.

"You shouldn't let them treat you like that," she said. "Would you like me to have a look at your face?"

"I'm fine," Tom answered.

"It looks painful," she tried again. "I'd feel more comfortable if I at least cleaned the cuts."

"No need," he opened the shed door. "You'll have to stay here."

The shed was dark and cold, but at least it was away from Billy and the rest of them.

Henrik stepped inside.

"Tom, you can save her life," Serena said. "How are they going to cover up what they've done now? One person they might have been able to get away with, but not three. And we're both doctors. They won't stop searching for us."

"They'll find a way."

"Not if _you_ stop them."

Tom gave her one last look before closing the door on her, leaving both her and Henrik in darkness.

"Good effort," Henrik called from the far corner as he sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall.

"I thought I'd give it a shot," she answered as she moved towards him, sitting down beside him.

They sat there in silence, both equally lost in their own thoughts. Was there a way out of this? What was the worst that could happen? Would they make it out alive?

The thought of never seeing her daughter again made Serena feel almost sick. She couldn't even begin to imagine how her daughter would take the news of her death. Henrik seemed to pick up on her line of thought.

"We're going to get out of this," he whispered.

_Are we?_ Serena felt like asking, but she didn't have the energy to argue. Instead she rested her head against Henrik's shoulder. He was most certainly not an affectionate person, but he knew that this situation called for some kind of physical reassurance and he placed her arm around her. He hated the thought of her being in this situation, but he knew he would feel much worse if he had been alone.

* * *

Serena awoke with a start. Something had interrupted her sleep and for a moment, she couldn't quite tell what it was. She was curled up against Henrik who had seemingly also just woken up.

"What was that?" She asked.

Henrik wasn't sure what had woken them, but it must have been something. There was a loud bang. They both jumped to their feet.

"Tell me that wasn't a gunshot," Serena whispered.

The door to the shed flew open and Tom appeared in front of them, wide eyed with fear.

Serena yelped and covered her eyes.

"Now is not the time to hide behind your imaginary shield," Henrik said as he grabbed her arm and raced towards Tom who was waving them over.

"We need to move fast," Tom said as he ran towards the car they had travelled in. "Get in!"

Neither of them questioned it. The idea of escape was too exhilarating. Serena climbed into the backseat, surprised to see the young woman lying in there as Henrik got into the front passenger seat.

Tom slammed down on the accelerator and raced towards the driveway.

The back window shattered as a bullet exploded through it. Serena covered the young woman's head with her arms to protect her.

"Stay down!" Henrik ordered her from the front seat as Tom raced down the driveway.

"I have no problem with that," Serena mumbled.

After driving for a good twenty minutes and after they were satisfied that they were not being followed, Tom started slowing down. "I thought about what you said," he glanced back at Serena. "You were right; there's no getting away from what we've done."

"You've done the right thing," Serena said.

"I couldn't watch her die."

"Why were they so afraid to take her to the hospital?" Serena heard herself ask.

"Billy said we wouldn't have been able to afford her medical bills. But the truth is he just didn't want the police involved."

"Why not?"

"The barn," Tom said. "That's where they're making Crystal Meth."

"This is all because they're manufacturing illegal drugs?" Serena asked incredulously.

"Mike had the accident because he was high. Billy found him and the girl. He said we would be investigated if they found her."

"So he was willing to let her die in order to protect himself."

Tom nodded. He slowed the vehicle down. "And this is where I have to leave you."

"Come again?" Serena leaned forward.

"I'm going to take her to the hospital," Tom motioned towards the girl. "But if you come with me, they'll ask questions."

"We won't be any trouble," Henrik answered.

"I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be."

"You're not seriously dumping us in the middle of nowhere."

"Keep down this road for another four miles and you'll come to a town. You can contact the police there. You'll be okay. I need a chance to get away."

"We won't incriminate you," Serena said.

"I've made up my mind," Tom stared at the road ahead.

"I think you've helped us enough," Henrik finally said and got out of the vehicle.

Serena watched as he opened her door, motioning for her to get out. Without a word, she climbed out, watching as Tom sped off into the darkness. She paused. "Is this a joke?"

"It appears not."

"Well," Serena threw her hands into the air. "We're back to square one!"

"Not quite," Henrik answered. "We no longer have a shotgun directed at us."

"That's not even the point!"

"We have a long way to walk, perhaps we should get to it."

Serena stared after him. "I don't believe this. How do we know we're even going the right way?"

"Tom told us which direction to head in."

"And who's to say he wasn't sending us in the wrong direction so that he'd have more time to plan his escape?"

"Well, you're more than welcome to walk in the opposite direction."

"And walk in the pitch black dark?" Serena stared back at him. "By myself?"

Henrik just raised an eyebrow in response.

"Yeah, that seems to defy logic."

"Well, then let's keep moving. We don't want to run into Billy and the rest of his gang."

Serena shivered at the thought. There was no question in her mind that he would kill them both if he found them now. She walked beside Henrik, wondering how this was all going to pan out. "If they're gone before the police get there," Serena started. "How do we sleep at night?"

"It will be fine," Henrik answered her, giving her a reassuring smile.

Serena suddenly cursed. "I left my handbag at their house."

"They have my wallet as well," Henrik replied, nodding.

"Well, I guess the police are just going to have a fantastic time identifying us," Serena chuckled.

Henrik was pleased to hear her make a joke. It seemed to somehow soothe what they had both been through. "We could take a shortcut through that field over there to get to town faster," Henrik said with a hint of amusement.

"No more shortcuts," Serena hooked her arm with Henrik's. "Please."

"Agreed," Henrik smiled.

They continued walking, oblivious to the knowledge that they had left behind at the house; identification documents usually contained one's address.


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again, thank you for the reviews! Sorry for the curve ball at the end of the last chapter, but I couldn't help x**

Serena finally stepped into the waiting room where Henrik was now seated, sipping a cup of what looked like very insipid coffee. They had reached the police station in a nearby town and had both been forced to give the police their testimonies as well as assist with an E-fit of the suspects.

Serena threw herself down in the seat beside Henrik, rubbing at her eyes. They had now both been awake for the most part of the night and they both looked terrible, even if Serena had tried her best to clear up her mascara in the ladies room.

"How was your _interrogation_?" Henrik asked, passing her a cup of coffee.

"Epic," Serena replied as she took the cup. "Yours?"

"Quite entertaining," he replied. "After they finally acknowledged that I am indeed Henrik Hanssen and not some mad man off of the street, attempting to impersonate myself, they were very helpful."

"Yes, they were concerned I was attempting to impersonate myself as well," Serena snorted.

"Mr Hanssen, Ms Campbell," a police officer stepped into the room. He had not yet removed his jacket and it was clear he had only just walked into the building. "I've just returned from the crime scene."

"Crime scene?" Serena raised an eyebrow.

"The location you sent us to is now a crime scene," the man answered. "You mentioned there were at least another four men at the scene?"

"That we know of," Serena nodded.

"And I'm presuming the one that was injured didn't have a bullet through his skull?"

Both Henrik and Serena stared back at him. "What?"

"The man who was injured has been identified as Michael O'Hara."

"Mike," Henrik nodded to Serena. "He was most certainly still alive when we . . . escaped."

"We have our best men working on finding Billy and his men."

"Did you have any idea what was going on out there?" Serena asked.

"We knew Billy was part of a gang selling illegal drugs, but we never had anything to hold him on. There was never any proof."

"Until now."

"Until now," he sighed. "The girl's been identified as Sarah Brannigan. She was reported missing over three days ago. She was admitted to hospital not far from here."

"Is she okay?" Serena asked.

"By all accounts she's doing really well. A few broken ribs, a concussion, but other than that, she'll survive."

"Has anyone managed to track down Tom?"

"Not yet. We have our people searching for him, but we believe he had ties to Spain. So with any luck we'll catch him before he boards a plane."

Serena and Henrik exchanged looks. They were indebted to him for saving their lives, but he was also a criminal in need of rehabilitation.

"If you like, I can have one of my officers drive you both home."

"That would be appreciated," Serena smiled as the officer left to find someone willing to drive them back. "I cannot wait to get home."

"We're fortunate it's the weekend," Henrik agreed.

"I've never wanted my bed so badly," Serena sighed, ignoring the uncomfortable look on Henrik's face.

Henrik had to rid himself of the image of Serena's bedroom. They had a strenuous relationship at best and the last thing he needed was to imagine her not only as a colleague but as a woman as well. He had managed to view her as a work entity and had therefore not felt the need to imagine her having a personal life.

"We have your bag," one of the officers walked in with Serena's handbag in his arms. "Turns out they left it at the house in their haste to get away."

Serena happily took it from him and started rummaging through it for her mobile phone and purse. All her cash and cards had been taken. "Ugh, why am I not surprised?" She sighed.

"You'll need to cancel those cards," the officer motioned towards the nearby phone. Serena quickly took him up on the offer.

"And they left your wallet. Doesn't look like there's much in there though," the officer passed Henrik his black leather wallet. To his surprise, Billy had left his driver's licence and a couple of cards, but not cash. He sighed. The thought of a stranger going through his personal belonging riled him up. "When you're ready to go home, just let me know."

Henrik nodded, waiting for Serena to finish cancelling her bank cards. She was impatiently relaying her information over the phone, rolling her eyes every now and again when she was asked to repeat something. "Why can't they just hire people who can actually _speak _English?" she whispered.

Once Serena had finished cancelling her cards and then complaining to whoever was on the phone about the quality of service, she hung the phone up in exasperation and followed Henrik outside to be driven home.

Henrik had arranged for a towing company to collect his car whilst Serena had been giving her testimony. He would be pleased to get everything in order and to forget the whole fiasco.

The officer waited until they were both comfortably seated beside each other in the back seat before speaking. "Would you like me to take the motorway or to take a more scenic route? There's a shortcut -"

"_No_!" Serena and Henrik cried in unison.

The officer glanced back at them both with a surprised, but amused look on his face. "Okay. Motorway it is."

* * *

The officer dropped them off close to the entrance to Holby City. Serena tried to avoid eye contact with everyone as she headed towards her car which was still parked in its usual place. "I'll drop you home," she said to Henrik who was similarly trying to avoid the prying eyes of his staff.

"What the hell happened to the two of you?" Michael Spence chuckled as he and Ric Griffin walked up towards them, both carrying a cup of steaming coffee.

"Is everything alright?" Ric asked, eyeing the police car which was driving away.

"Everything's fine," Henrik answered bluntly.

"Did you two get into some kind of . . . trouble?" Michael carefully chose his words, noticing the distinctly unimpressed look Serena was directing at him.

"We got into some car trouble and then ran into some people who are now being sought after by the police," Serena spoke.

"The police?" Ric asked, his brow furrowed with concern. "Were you hurt?"

"No," Serena answered. "Now if you'd excuse us . . ."

"I got the strangest phone call off of you earlier," Ric suddenly said. "I thought you had misdialled or something."

Serena paused. "When was this?"

"About five hours ago."

"I don't have my phone with me."

"Well, it sounded like you'd dialled without realizing. I heard voices in the background and it sounded as though you were driving."

"_Great_," Serena turned to Henrik. "They're probably draining my bank account by using my phone to call all their drug dealing bastardly friends," she spat.

"Drug dealers?" Michael gave her an incredulous look.

"You might want to get your contract frozen," Ric suggested.

"Yes, I will do that," she sighed, motioning for Henrik to follow her to her car.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ric called after them.

Serena just waved off his concern while Henrik turned to give the man a polite nod of the head before getting into Serena's car. "God, I hate people," she mumbled.

"I sincerely hope you don't mean _all _people," Henrik said as he adjusted his seatbelt, slightly amused by her annoyance.

"_Most _of them," she grumbled, putting her BMW into reverse. "This was supposed to be a boring conference on infection control, not a life or death situation."

"I think you handled yourself rather well."

Serena paused for a moment. It was rare for him to compliment people, especially her. She found it rather endearing and had to push the thought aside. They were, after all, opponents. "You'll have to tell me where you live," she suddenly said, realizing that she had no idea where the man called his home.

Henrik told her where he lived and carefully explained the easiest and quickest way in which to get there. It wasn't too far from her own house.

"I didn't realize we lived so close together," she said, trying to make small talk. She was becoming bored with the thought of Billy and his men running through her mind.

"I hope you're not suggesting we commute together," Henrik said, the corner of his lips twitching upwards.

"_Of course_ _not_," she smiled. "That would destroy our love-hate relationship."

"Love-hate?"

"Okay, maybe not love," she chuckled.

"I wouldn't exactly say _hate_ either," he replied, glancing out the window.

"Indifferent?" She glanced at him.

"Perhaps the best way to put it would be . . . competitive."

"Ah," she smiled. "Competitive. I like it. It doesn't assign blame to either party and allows us both to appear as full grown adults."

Henrik tried unsuccessfully to suppress his smile. He hated to admit it, but he did enjoy her company outside of work. She was very down to earth and even amusing when they weren't butting heads over something or number crunching.

Serena stole a glance at Henrik before sighing heavily. "I never got a chance to thank you."

Henrik turned his attention back to her, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"When Billy . . ." she struggled to find the right words. "For taking care of me," she finally settled on.

"Well, I'm sure anyone would do the same thing. And after all, I am your superior; if anything happens to you, I am responsible."

"Not in that situation," she replied.

"It was my idea to take a shortcut. I put you in danger."

"It was no one's _fault_," Serena snapped. "Well . . . maybe your mechanic's. Give him a slap for me the next time you see him."

"I will do no such thing," Henrik smiled with a look of mock horror.

Serena chuckled as she pulled into Henrik's road, slowing to find the house with the Japanese style garden and small, black picket fence. It suited him.

"Thank you," Henrik paused as he climbed out, as if he wanted to say something and changed his mind at the last minute.

Serena watched as he strolled through his garden and up to the front door. She was about to leave when she noticed him swoop down to look through the window. It seemed odd, so she waited, watching him turn to look at her. There was something in his eyes that made her kill the engine and silently climb out, joining him on his stoop.

"What is it?"

"Someone's been in my house," he answered stiffly.

"How do you know?"

In response, Henrik used his pointing finger to gently push the door open. "I tend to lock my front door when I leave."

"Maybe we should call the police," Serena whispered, peering in through the front door. She could see an overturned table.

"Wait here," Henrik said as he carefully stepped into his entrance hall.

Serena followed him in.

"I told you to _wait _outside," he hissed.

"Have I _ever_ listened to you before?" Serena hissed back, grabbing onto his jacket as they cautiously walked through the house.

Henrik tried to ignore his annoyance at Serena's constant disobedience, but he was subconsciously quite pleased to have her with him.

They finally realized that they were alone in the house when they reached Henrik's bedroom. Serena glanced around it. It was absolutely minimalistic with dark curtains and dark wooden cupboards. Henrik had moved towards one of the drawers that had been pulled open and was looking for something.

Serena's eyes moved to his bed and she felt her pulse begin to race as she noticed the black satin sheets. It was more than her fragile mind could take and she tore her eyes away, desperately trying to focus her attention on something else. Why would he have black satin sheets if not to entertain? She tried to shake the thought from her mind.

"Well, they've managed to go through everything I possess," Henrik sighed, turning to look at a flustered looking Serena. "Are you okay?"

"Absolutely," she lied, turning away from him. "This has been one hell of a day."

Henrik was still trying to figure out what had affected her when they heard a woman call from downstairs. They both quickly headed down to find a middle aged, blond woman standing in the hallway, eyeing the damage that had been done in the house. She immediately turned her attention to Henrik and Serena watched as the woman's face dropped upon noticing her standing beside him.

"Henrik," the woman swallowed. "I didn't know you had company."

"Mrs Bellingham," Henrik smiled.

"I thought I you had come back . . ." the woman glanced over the living room; a table was overturned and some clothing had been scattered throughout the room in between broken glass.

"I apologize for the mess," Henrik said and was about to explain when he noticed the woman give Serena the once over before looking at the mess and then giving Henrik a strange look.

Serena noticed Henrik's reluctance to explain and had to supress a smirk. The woman obviously held a torch for Henrik and was clearly surprised by this carnal, rough side to him; albeit a complete fallacy. Serena was more than happy to let Henrik lead with the explaining, but she did feel a sense of pride when he continued to allow the woman to believe that Serena was the object of this wild, destructive night.

"Well," the woman finally said. "I just popped by to say hello and deliver your post," she passed him a couple of envelopes, taking one last look in Serena's direction. "I'll just be going then."

Serena fluttered her eyelashes sweetly as the woman stepped through the open front door, peering back at them over the fence before disappearing from their view.

"Admirer of yours?" Serena smiled.

"One of many," Henrik raised an eyebrow, expecting her to refute the suggestion. When she didn't, he felt slightly taken aback and was unsure of what to say. He turned away from her sheepishly.

Serena was about to make a joke at his expense when she noticed a bank card lying on the floor. "Ah, well, this'll make you feel slightly better," she smiled as she reached down to pick it up, pausing as she noticed the name embedded in the plastic. "Henrik," she breathed.

Henrik had already become accustomed to the changes in her tone and immediately realized that something was wrong. He came to stand beside her.

"This is _my_ card," she held it up for him to see. "This was in my purse."

"Billy," Henrik sighed.

"Eleanor should be coming home today," she looked up at him, the fear clearly visible in her eyes.

Without a word, they both rushed to the car.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm going to try to keep this a little less suspenseful, but I can't make any promises ;-) Thanks to everyone for reading/reviewing.x**

Serena had barely turned the engine off when her door flew open and she raced up the stairs to her door. She seemed to calm down a little when she noticed the front door was still locked. Glancing back at Henrik who was right behind her, she proceeded to unlock the front door and push the door open, standing back to see if anyone was inside.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to call the police," Henrik whispered.

"Eleanor?" Serena called, ignoring Henrik's suggestion. She cautiously stepped inside. Nothing seemed out of place. "Eleanor?"

The house was eerily silent for a Saturday afternoon. Perhaps she was still over at her boyfriend, Darren's house. Henrik locked the door behind them and followed Serena into every room. He couldn't help but notice how cosy each room was; it was completely different to the way she presented herself at work. She had clearly gone to great measures to ensure every room was covered in photos of family and friends as well as peculiar little trinkets and ornaments.

Serena reached for the cordless landline and headed to the fridge to find Eleanor's boyfriend's phone number. She caught Henrik staring at some of her photo frames mounted on the wall as she punched the numbers in and felt slightly uneasy by the fact that he was not only in her house, but also viewing her intimate family photos.

"Hi, Dorris," Serena quickly gathered herself, trying to sound completely relaxed as she spoke to Darren's mother. "It's Serena. I'm sorry to bother, but I've somehow managed to lose my mobile phone and I know Eleanor won't be able to reach me. Is she there?"

Henrik listened as Serena lied to the other woman, telling her that everything was fine and that she was hoping her daughter might be able to stay over another night as she had found termites in the wooden floor in the kitchen and she was getting an exterminator in to fumigate the house. He couldn't help but marvel at how quickly she managed to come up with a fib.

"Thank you, Dorris," Serena said as warmly as possible. "I'll give Eleanor a call tonight to let her know how it's going. Bye," she hung up, turning back to Henrik. "Okay, she's fine. She's at Darren's house."

"Her boyfriend?" Henrik heard himself ask.

"That's right," Serena answered, slightly guarded. Her daughter was clearly not a subject she wished to discuss.

"Perhaps you should have told her what's been going on."

"Out of the question," Serena answered. "There's no point in frightening the life out of her. I'll deal with her later."

Henrik was about to reason with her when they heard the sound of shattering glass. Serena headed towards the hallway and froze as she saw a hand reach through a broken pane of glass and attempt to unlock the door. Henrik reached out for her forearm and pulled her up the stairs, moving as quietly as he could. They headed into Eleanor's room and Henrik quietly locked the door.

"Now would be a good time to call for help," he whispered.

Serena lifted the phone that was still in her hand and was about to dial when it started ringing. They both jumped at the sound. Serena pressed the button closest to her thumb in order to get it to stop, realizing that she had inadvertently answered the call as she vaguely made out Michael's voice coming from the receiver. "Michael?" Serena whispered.

Henrik gave her an incredulous look as if to ask her what the hell she was doing.

"Oh, hey, Serena," Michael said. "I'm just calling to find out if you remember where you put my pen. You know, the black one with the gold writing on the side. It's my favourite pen and you know it's my favourite pen which is why you keep stealing it."

"Michael, I can't really speak right now," Serena whispered.

"Yeah, nice try. I want my pen."

"Michael, I can't _speak_," Serena snapped.

"Get off of the phone," Henrik motioned towards the locked door.

"I'm not joking, Serena. I'm having a really bad day. All I want is my pen, so where have you hidden it? And don't pretend like you haven't hidden it because I know you have. It's exactly the evil kind of thing that you'd do."

Henrik tried to pry the phone from her hands and she fought back, nearly knocking into her daughter's dressing table in the process.

"Was that Hanssen's voice I heard a minute ago?" Michael asked with an amused and curious tone.

"We can't talk right now, we're trying to escape," Serena hung up.

"It's about time," Henrik whispered angrily.

Serena ignored him and quickly dialled 999. They heard footsteps on the landing and both stared at the door as the handle started to turn.

"This one's locked," a man's voice called from outside the door.

Henrik moved towards the window and tried to push it open as quietly as possible. Serena watched as he pushed it up as high as he could before very cautiously climbing through it and turning back to help her out.

"The signal won't work out there," Serena mouthed, motioning towards the phone she was holding.

"Leave it," he whispered, waving her over impatiently.

For once, she did what she was told and dropped the phone on her daughter's bed before very awkwardly attempting to climb through the window. Henrik grabbed her around her waist and practically hoisted her out and onto the ledge. They very comically started shuffling away from the window, careful not to slip.

"Now what?" Serena whispered as they reached the corner. There was no way they'd get around it without falling and perhaps breaking a leg.

"I suggest we jump," Henrik whispered back.

Serena stared back at him with a look of pure horror. "I am _not _jumping into my neighbour's swimming pool!" she hissed at him.

"Well then perhaps you would like to climb back in through the window and greet Billy and his team. I'm sure he would be very pleased to see you," Henrik snapped back. "Or you could try jumping onto the concrete floor beneath you. I'm sure you'd get very far with a pair of broken legs."

Serena grimaced at the thought. Henrik was right; this was the only way out of immediate danger. At least she could use her neighbour's phone to call the police. "Fine," she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"On three," Henrik whispered, his eyes focused on the swimming pool just over the wall. "One."

Serena made a little whimpering sound, obviously not keen on the idea of what they were going to have to do.

"Two."

The sound of Eleanor's door being broken down forced Henrik into taking immediate action and he absentmindedly grabbed Serena's hand and pulled her with him as he jumped so that they would both be able to surface at about the same time. The water was freezing and felt like little needles, stabbing into their skin simultaneously. Henrik reached the bottom of the swimming pool first and gently kicked off, bringing them both to the surface. Serena started sputtering and coughing.

"You said on three," she coughed as she tried to swim towards the side of the pool. With every cough, she sunk back under water until Henrik had to reach out and pull her to the side. "I wasn't ready."

"Unfortunately we couldn't wait until three," Henrik answered, as he climbed up the steps and pulled his jacket off. It was soaked and weighing him down.

Serena watched from the pool.

"We need to get to a phone," Henrik turned to see why she was still in the swimming pool. "Are you joining me or planning on taking a leisurely swim?"

"I'm climbing out of the pool," she replied. "Avert your eyes."

Henrik stared back at her, his brows furrowed with confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"My clothes will be clingy," she explained. "Avert your eyes."

"Ms Campbell, this is hardly the time to . . ."

"_Avert your eyes_," she snapped.

Henrik turned away, smiling to himself as he heard her wade through the water and make her way out of the pool.

Serena kept her eyes on Henrik, ensuring he wasn't about to turn around as she tried her best to ring most of the water out of her blouse. It wasn't helping. "Ugh, let's just call the police," she said, trying to hold the material of her blouse away from her chest so that it would become too transparent. She inwardly cursed herself for wearing a dark coloured brassiere with a silk green blouse.

Henrik couldn't help but chuckle softly at her little dilemma as she headed to her neighbour's glass door and peered in. "I don't know if anyone's home," she glanced at him, noticing the amused look on his face and glared at him. "Give me your jacket," she grabbed it from his hands and covered her chest with it before heading around the side of the house. "Amy?"

A black haired woman looked up from her desk where she was painting a canvas. "Serena?" the woman looked thoroughly surprised and a little amused as she got to her feet and opened the sliding door to let her neighbour in. "What happened?"

"We had a little accident," Serena noticed the woman eyeing Henrik suspiciously. "And I need to use your phone if possible."

"Of course," she turned back to grab her mobile and passed it to Serena. "What kind of accident?"

"The kind where we had to lock ourselves in my daughter's room, climb out the window and jump into your swimming pool," Serena answered as she punched the emergency services number in.

"I'm sorry?" Amy looked confused.

"It's a long story," Serena started moving away from them as she heard the operator. "Henrik will explain."

Henrik turned to the woman who was staring blankly back at him. "Henrik Hanssen," he shook her hand. "Director of surgery."

"Right."

* * *

"So what was the outcome?" Serena asked the detective.

"We managed to catch two of them in your house," the man answered. "The other made away on foot."

"Which one got away?" Serena asked, her stomach knotting.

"Billy Burkin."

Serena looked at Henrik, knowing he was thinking the same thing. "So, what now?"

"Now we wait for my people to catch him," the detective answered. "And they _will_ catch him."

Serena couldn't help but feel a little pessimistic about that comment. "If you hear anything . . ."

"I'll let you both know," the detective patted Serena's shoulder and nodded at Henrik before leaving.

"I need to get changed," Serena said, shivering in the cold air. "Do you mind . . ." she struggled to find the right words. "Coming with me?"

Henrik turned to face her, a surprised look on his face.

"Or I could get Amy to come in with me," she quickly added.

"No, there's no need," Henrik quickly said. "I'll accompany you."

Serena gave him a warm smile and headed towards her front door. The police had kindly taped the broken glass on the door closed with a thick piece of cardboard. "I'm so glad Eleanor wasn't home."

"You were very fortunate," Henrik followed her into her house.

"I hate to imagine what could have . . ." she stopped speaking as her voice deviated from its usual tone and Henrik realized how upset she was. He was unsure of how to console her, so he stood quietly in the hallway with her as she tried to compose herself again. After a few seconds, she managed to speak again. "I can dry your clothes for you if you like. I'll get you a dressing gown," she headed upstairs.

"That's quite alright," he said, but his reply seemed to fall on deaf ears.

When Serena returned, she passed him a dark blue dressing gown. "You can use Eleanor's room to get undressed in."

Henrik wanted to protest, but in fairness, he was freezing, soaked to the bone and he wasn't keen on having to get a taxi home whilst wearing a wet suit. He followed her up the stairs and headed into Eleanor's room, turning to close the door behind him and noticed Serena in her own room. She had pushed the door closed for the most part, but it was still standing ajar. He caught a glimpse of her as she started unbuttoning her blouse, resting against the edge of her bed. She looked tired. He forced himself to turn away as she started shrugging out of the silk blouse, closing Eleanor's door completely before resting his head against it for a few seconds.

Serena had changed into a dry pair of clothes and had fixed her makeup, aware of the fact that she was not staying the night in her house. She walked over to Eleanor's room, a pair of long black socks in her hand and knocked gently on the door. "Ready?"

The door clicked open and Henrik appeared, wearing the fluffy blue dressing gown. Serena supressed a laugh as her eyes ran over him. She held the socks out to him and he gratefully took them from her. "Pass me your clothes and I'll dry them for you."

"No, I am more than capable of doing it," he said as he leaned down to pull the socks on before picking up his pile of clothes and following her downstairs and into the kitchen where she motioned towards the tumble dryer. He carefully placed all his clothes into it and started the machine.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"I was thinking . . ." Henrik started. He looked slightly uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "I don't suppose you wish to stay here tonight."

Serena turned back to him as she placed two cups on the kitchen counter. "Probably not while my window is still broken."

"You are more than welcome to stay over at my house. I have a guest room. The lock on the door was not broken. The chance of Billy returning to my home is slim to none."

Serena observed him for a second. "I accept your proposal."

The corners of Henrik's lips twitched upwards. "Good." He watched as she turned around and proceeded to make them each a cup of coffee as they waited for Henrik's clothes to dry. For some reason, the thought of her coming back with him seemed to please him greatly. He didn't feel safe leaving her alone with Billy being on the loose and in truth; he didn't feel he was quite ready to part with her just yet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for the reviews again. Really appreciate each and every one of them. Would love to get back to you all individually.x**

Henrik unlocked his front door, noticing the black powder on the door from where the crime scene officers had dusted for fingerprints. They would no doubt bring a second charge of breaking and entering against the two men in custody, he thought to himself as he held the door open for Serena who was carrying her overnight bag.

"I'll take your bag upstairs," he offered.

Serena happily passed it to him, watching as he ascended the staircase. She felt somewhat safer with him. After all, he had practically saved her life a couple of times. She headed into the living room, focusing on the one picture hanging in the centre of the room. It wasn't particularly colourful, but it was beautiful. It looked like a sandy dune landscape. Henrik definitely appreciated the simplistic view of life.

"I'm not sure what you'd like for dinner," Henrik interrupted her thoughts as he walked into the room after a few minutes.

"We could always order in," she answered. "Saves us having to cook."

"Any particular preferences?" He asked, realizing that he barely knew her outside of work. He had seen her buying a cinnamon roll on one occasion, but he had absolutely no idea what she usually liked to eat. He found himself making a mental note of having to ask her out for lunch – as a colleague.

"I'm happy with anything, to be honest," she answered. "I would love to have a quick shower."

"You room is en suite," he answered. "I might join you."

Serena stared back at him, a mischievous smile crossing her face.

"I mean I might join you . . . in the idea . . . of having a shower," Henrik quickly tried to rectify his faux pas.

Serena just laughed at the embarrassed expression on his face. "That was classic."

"Have you decided on a particular cuisine?" He changed the subject, straightening up.

"Surprise me," she answered as she headed up the stairs.

It felt incredible to feel clean again and Serena was contemplating staying under the hot water from the shower for the rest of the evening. It had been such a traumatic couple of days. She knew things could have ended much worse than they had, but it didn't take the memories of the fear away. Turning off the shower, she wrapped herself in one of Henrik's towels and stepped into her room, searching her overnight bag for some makeup she had packed in. Usually, after a long day, makeup was the last thing she would think about, but she didn't want Henrik to see her without any. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized that she had been in the shower for almost an hour. She threw on some comfortable clothes and rushed out of the room, pausing as she passed Henrik's room. Those satin sheets just seemed so out of the ordinary for a man like him. She smiled as she noticed how he had already tidied his drawers up. The man was a perfectionist.

"Everything is fine now," Henrik said over the phone to Michael Spence who had already left five voice messages on his phone. "Ms Campbell is fine."

Serena stepped into the kitchen where Henrik had already set the table, taking a seat and watching him intently. He had clearly taken a shower and looked like his usual polished self.

"Mr Spence, I assure you, everything is just _fine_."

Serena tried to suppress a smile at Henrik's growing irritation with the American surgeon. She reached out for the bottle of wine in the centre of the table, motioning towards it as if to ask Henrik if he wanted her to pour him a glass. He nodded and she quite happily poured them both a glass, sitting back and sipping hers while trying not to laugh at Henrik's exasperated tone.

"Mr Spence, I need to get off the phone now," Henrik snapped. "What do you mean 'why'?"

Serena tried to stop herself from laughing out loud.

"There is no reason other than my dinner is waiting. Goodnight, Mr Spence," Henrik hung up.

"I'm so glad you made that phone call and not me," she smiled into her glass.

"He is most definitely the most determinedly persistent man I have ever met," Henrik breathed in a freshly showered citrus scent coming from Serena.

"He's worried," Serena nodded.

"Perhaps he can take his concern and use it on one of his patients instead," Henrik grumbled as he seated himself beside her. He took a deep breath as he watched Serena start to unpack the paper bag with Chinese food, placed in the middle of the table. "I hope you like Chinese cuisine."

"Nothing better than Chinese food after a long and strenuous couple of days," Serena joked, but her smile barely reached her eyes as she dished up for them both.

"Did you manage to contact your daughter?"

Serena paused, giving Henrik a suspicious look before answering. "Yes. She's using my credit card to buy herself some new clothes while she stays at Darren's house. I will no doubt be paying for a brand new wardrobe."

"Small price to pay," Henrik said as she passed him a plate, heaped with food. He watched as she dished up half the portion for herself; obviously she was not as hungry as he was.

They attempted some small talk regarding the hospital to avoid any awkward silences while they ate, but it was clear that neither of them were in the mood to talk about work. It was the last thing on either of their minds.

"Well, it's going to be fun explaining what happened to everyone on Monday," Serena sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"We most certainly do not need to explain anything to them."

"But there _will _be questions. And now that Michael knows about it, you can bet the rest of Holby does."

"I think you give Mr Spence too much credit," Henrik replied, watching her reaction. "He knows when to keep something to himself."

"Is that a reference to the plastics scandal I've heard so much about?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps," he got to his feet, picking up his empty plate and hers and taking it to the kitchen sink.

"I'll do the dishes. It's the least I can do," she stood up, moving to the sink.

"No, no," Henrik put his arm out to prevent her from reaching into the sink. "You're a guest in my house. It's my duty to do the washing up."

Serena smiled broadly. "If only all men were like you."

Henrik paused, catching her gaze for a second. He looked a bit taken aback by her comment.

"Life would be so much simpler," she quickly added, turning away from him to drink the last bit of wine in her glass. "I would never have put you down for a wine connoisseur," she said, reading the label on the wine bottle.

"Really?" Henrik turned to look at her, while scrubbing a plate. "What would you have put me down for then?"

Serena had to think about this for a second. "I'd say more of a whiskey or brandy man," she sipped her wine.

Henrik dried his hands off and moved to a nearby cabinet, opening it and standing aside to let her see what was in it.

Serena started laughing as she noticed the five bottles of different types of very expensive whiskey neatly packed beside each other.

Henrik smiled sheepishly before returning to his washing up duty. "But I'm partial to a fine wine every now and again."

"A man after my own heart," Serena smiled. "Who'd have guessed we'd have _something_ in common."

"And it only took a near death experience to discover it," Henrik answered as he dried the plates and cutlery and placed everything back in its original place.

"I don't know about you, but I am absolutely drained," Serena said, glancing down at her arm and noticing the dark bruises that had formed around her wrist and forearm; another reminder of what they had been through. It was a small price to pay though.

"Perhaps we should both have an early night," Henrik nodded. "The following week will be stressful to say the least."

"Don't remind me," Serena rolled her eyes as she finished her wine.

Henrik took the glass from her. "Another?"

"If I have another glass I will no doubt pass out right here and you'll have to carry me to bed."

The corners of Henrik's lips twitched upwards as he washed her glass and placed it on the dish rack. "Ready?" He asked her as his hand hovered over the light switch.

Serena nodded and began heading up the stairs as Henrik turned the lights off. She heard him check that the front door was securely locked before following her up the stairs. They both paused outside Serena's bedroom.

"Well," Henrik glanced down at the floor before making eye contact with her in an almost boyish move. "Good night, Ms Campbell."

"Good night," she smiled up at him, instinctively reaching out to kiss him on the cheek before disappearing behind the door to her room.

Henrik stared after her, a strange warmth filling his soul by her unexpected touch. He tried to put it down to the wine and headed into his room, leaving his door only slightly open in case he was needed during the night. He climbed into bed, turning off the light and watching the shiver of light emanating from Serena's room. He wondered if she was still thinking about what they had been through and couldn't help but feel guilty. It had been his fault for the most part. She had suggested they take her car and she hadn't been too pleased when he decided to take that shortcut. She had been gracious enough not to blame him though and he was surprised by that. Serena Campbell was not someone he would use the term 'gracious' to describe, but she hadn't been anything but gracious. He thought about this as the light from her room turned off, somehow indicating that it was time for them both to sleep.

Serena was jolted awake by the sound of something knocking against her window. She threw her duvet aside and sat as still as possible, listening for a further sound. There was a scratching noise emanating from the window. Serena slowly got to her feet and moved to the window, cautiously pulling the curtain aside. She breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed the culprit was only a branch that was being thrown about by a strong gust of wind.

Serena rubbed her eyes groggily and was about to climb back into bed when she noticed a silhouette standing across the road. It looked like a man facing the house, leaning against a street light. It could have been anyone, but after what had happened, Serena couldn't take a chance and decided to investigate. She opened her door as quietly as possible and tiptoed down the stairs and into the living room, heading straight to the window. Her eyes searched for the street light and she froze when she realized that the silhouette was gone. Her blood ran cold. There had definitely been a man standing there. She moved to the next window, narrowly missing knocking into a small coffee table. The street was deserted; the only movement visible was from the shadows of the trees being blown around in the wind.

She moved back to the first window, glancing around the little Japanese style garden. There was no one there or in the street. She was tempted to go outside to check, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. The wind was making the dark street seem even scarier than it usually would.

Suddenly a figure moved right passed the window and Serena let out a little scream as she ducked under the window, crawling on all fours to get away. It took a moment for her to get her bearings back and she realized that the figure was heading for the front door. Panic shot through her and she jumped to her feet and peered around the wall towards the front door, waiting for someone to try the door handle.

"Ms Campbell?" Henrik called from the staircase.

"Sssssssh!" she hissed, motioning towards the door, her eyes wide with fear.

There was a small thump and they both turned just in time to see a catalogue drop from the letter box onto the floor.

Serena stared at it as if expecting it to blow up.

Henrik brushed passed her and picked it up. "Was this what you were worried about?"

"There was someone . . ." she glanced passed him at the door.

Henrik unlocked it and pulled the door open, stepping outside into the gale force wind. Serena followed him out. The man who had delivered their catalogue was just leaving the neighbour's garden and he gave them a curious wave. "There's no one out here," Henrik said to her.

Serena nodded and stepped back into the house, watching as Henrik locked up. He stood by the door, watching her for a moment. "Are you alright?"

"I just . . ." she tried to find the words. "I thought he was here," she said, her voice breaking.

Henrik reached out to touch her shoulder and she moved into him, pressing her face against his chest. He awkwardly rested an arm around her, unsure of how to comfort her. He had never been an openly affectionate person.

After a few seconds, Serena pulled away from him, shaking her head as she chuckled. "I'm sorry. This is ridiculous. I'm scared of a catalogue delivery man," she said dryly, obviously trying to cover up her initial emotional reaction.

"It's just nerves," Henrik answered reassuringly, motioning for her to head back up the stairs. "I'll double check and make sure everything's secure."

Serena nodded and headed back to her room. She felt like an idiot and hated Henrik seeing her at her weakest. She was a strong person and she knew that, but the truth was, she was still terrified. The thought of Billy still being out there was enough to scare anyone, but she had felt his breath on her face and had seen the vile look in his eyes every time he had looked at her.

She climbed into bed, cuddling into the duvet and deep in thought as she heard Henrik knock softly on her door. "Come in."

"I thought this might help you sleep," Henrik stepped into the room and passed her a tumbler with whiskey.

"Thank you," she smiled as she took it and sipped it. It was strong and she grimaced as it burned its way down her throat.

"Is that tree at it again?" Henrik asked as he opened the window and proceeded to break the intruding branch off, dropping it to the ground outside. "Hopefully it won't keep you up anymore."

Serena watched as he was about to leave and couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. "Will you stay with me?"

Henrik stopped in his tracks, slowly turning towards her. "I don't think that's a good idea, Ms Campbell."

"Please," she said, placing the tumbler down on the bedside table.

"I'll be right across the hall."

Serena averted her gaze to the floor. She wasn't entirely sure why she had asked him to stay. He was entirely right; it was a bad idea. They were both exhausted and had been through a traumatic couple of days. Perhaps she just needed a comforting body close to her or perhaps she just wanted a distraction.

"We should both get some much needed sleep," Henrik said as he left the room. He was forcing himself to leave and had gotten all the way to his own bed when he paused, unsure of whether he had made the right decision.

Serena was left staring at the floor, embarrassed by her casual proposal to a man she barely knew anything about. She rolled over onto her side and took a deep breath, trying not to berate herself too much or she would never get to sleep. This was probably one of the silliest things she had ever done. She was about to squeeze her eyes shut when she heard someone enter her room. She didn't move, wondering if Henrik was going to accuse her of trying to seduce him into her bed in order to get ahead at Holby. Instead, he climbed in beside her and moved right up against her, running his hand down her arm and breathing in her hair.

"You smell _so_ good," Billy's voice caused her blood to run cold. His hand clamped down over her mouth as she tried to scream.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, I will try to keep suspense the minimum. Again, thank you for the reviews and for reading! This is a bit of a short chapter to make up for the last few that were quite long. x**

Henrik rested his head against his pillow, still trying to convince himself that he had done the right thing. They were, after all, two senior members at Holby and any relationship they shared would be scrutinized by the members of the board. There would no doubt be a meeting if it became public knowledge that they had shared a bed and there would be some trepidation as to whether either or both of them would be able to continue working together. He was a very private person and the thought of his love life being dissected by the staff and the members of the board was not appealing. On the other hand, he had not indulged himself in many years as he was always too busy and this would be a perfect opportunity; he was attracted to this woman and was curious as to what it would be like to allow himself to become intimate with her. He did not trust her, nor did she trust him, but there was certainly an attraction between them. Perhaps it could be explained by their seemingly equal ability to manipulate those around them; they had finally both met their match in each other.

Henrik rolled over on to his side, unable to get comfortable; the thought of Serena in the next room, willing to welcome him into her bed was appealing and was clearly not going to disappear from his mind easily. They had both been through a traumatic event and it was only natural to seek out comfort. Comfort could manifest itself in many ways; some people required intimacy to feel safe or to distract themselves from what kept running through their minds.

Henrik couldn't take it anymore and threw his duvet aside, taking a deep breath. Was this something he would regret later? Probably, but he would not be able to sleep until he satisfied his curiosity, not to mention the deep attraction burning inside him.

He pushed his door open and was somewhat disheartened when he noticed Serena had closed her door. He wondered if it was a sign that she had changed her mind. Perhaps she had thought about it as well and reached the same conclusion that he had; that it would cause far too much trouble. And perhaps she was strong enough to resist the urge to push that conclusion to the back of her mind.

He turned away. It was the right thing to do. No amount of trauma would excuse them disregarding their responsibilities to act appropriately.

* * *

Serena tried her best to wriggle out of Billy's tight hold on her. She couldn't breathe through his hand which was clamped down over her mouth and nose. He felt cold against her skin as he pressed up against her, whispering into her ear.

"If I let go of you and you scream, I will snap your neck like a twig and then I will kill your colleague. Do you understand?"

Serena nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

Billy moved his hand from her face down to her waist. "Good girl," he whispered, breathing in her scent. "I thought you and your colleague were married. You should have told me earlier - I would have made my intentions clear," he proceeded to lick the side of her face.

Serena let out a little whimper, trying to think of some way to escape. She couldn't call for Henrik. Billy would no doubt kill them both. She couldn't think of a way out of the situation she found herself in.

"I don't blame you for going to the police," Billy whispered into her ear, hovering over her. "I know it wasn't your idea. I'll deal with your friend shortly. But in the meantime, you're going to show me how sorry you are, aren't you?" He smiled as he moved his hand up to her chest, kissing her on the lips. He turned her onto her back and scrambled on top of her, raising his finger to her mouth to keep her from screaming. "This might hurt a little. But you owe me."

Serena squeezed her eyes shut, her mind desperately trying to think of how to react before it was too late. She felt a heavy pressure suddenly on her and then it was lifted as Billy was thrown against the wall.

"Get off of her!" Henrik growled through the darkness as he slammed Billy up against the wall, striking him in the face as hard as he could. He knew the only way to survive was to ensure Billy was unable to fight back and he had already found that he had the upper hand by taking him by surprise. He punched the man in the face once again before taking to his ribs and punching him repeatedly until the man curled into a ball on the carpet. Henrik was usually very self contained and disciplined, but the thought of the creature having his hands on Serena had somehow sent him over the edge.

Serena raced over to Henrik as he repeatedly kicked Billy. She stretched her arms around his waist and drew him closer to her and away from Billy, feeling him relax somewhat in her arms. "Come away," she said, gently pulling him out of the room.

"We need to call the police immediately," Henrik said. He was clearly in shock as he moved to the phone in his room, taking Serena's hand as he picked up the phone, keeping an eye on Billy who was unconscious.

Serena pressed her head against his chest, her eyes also fixated on Billy's body. She felt calmer as she felt Henrik drape his free arm around her, pulling her closer to him as he spoke on the phone, asking for immediate assistance.

They stood clinging to each other in silence as they waited for the police to arrive. Serena felt almost childlike in his arms; as if he would be able to protect her from the world.

"Are you okay?" Henrik finally broke the silence.

"Yes," she breathed. "Are you?"

"Yes," he answered, squeezing her tightly.

"God, Henrik," Serena tried to keep her composed nature. "I'm so glad you came in when you did."

"So am I."

They both fell silent, realizing the full extent of what would have happened had Henrik not walked in when he did.

"Why did you come back?" She suddenly asked.

"I decided to take a risk."

"We both know our luck with risks," she smiled into his chest.

"Sometimes it pays off," he whispered as the sound of police sirens cut through the night air.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hope the last chapter didn't disappoint. As you will see, it's not the last we see of Billy, because like all true horror stories, people like him always manage to get out of tough situations - almost always that is. x**

Serena and Henrik headed down the stairs to let the police in. Neither of them were willing to be left alone with Billy for longer than a second.

The police officer rushed towards them. "Where is he?"

"He's upstairs. The first room on the right," Henrik answered, watching as two officers raced up the stairs.

"Are you both alright?" The third officer asked. "It doesn't seem like you've had the easiest of nights."

"We'll be fine," Serena answered, clearly trying to appear strong in front of the man.

"As long as this man is locked up, we'll be alright," Henrik said, glancing back at Serena who just nodded in agreement.

"Uh, you said the room on the right, correct?" The officer called from upstairs.

"He should be curled up in a ball on the floor, like a pathetic little coward," Serena spat.

"Okay," the officer sounded uncertain and proceeded to disappear up the stairs again. The second officer descended the stairs towards them, an odd look on his face. "You're sure he was up there?"

"Of course," Henrik answered indignantly.

"What do you mean 'was'?" Serena asked, her voice worried.

The officer rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how to say what he needed to tell them. "There's no one up there."

Serena and Henrik exchanged looks. "Are you joking?"

"We'll take a look around the neighbourhood," he motioned to his colleague who quickly stepped outside and started speaking into his radio. "He couldn't have gotten far."

Serena realized she'd been holding her breath and she stepped away from the officer, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"They'll find him," Henrik said to her, watching helplessly as the blood drained from her face. She leaned against the couch, staring down at the floor and trying to regain her composure, but the thought of Billy still being out there was too much to take. He had made it quite clear that he blamed them for what had happened and that he was not going to stop coming after them.

"What now?" she looked up at the officer.

"We'll need to take your statements."

"And what good will that do?" Serena snapped.

"We want an air tight case, so that when we find this guy, we'll be able to nail him."

"I would imagine with all the evidence you have against him already, he'll go to prison without too much of a drama."

"Did he hurt you?" the officer suddenly asked.

Serena stared back at him, suddenly feeling emotional. She bit back any tears threatening to form, knowing that Henrik was watching her intently. "No. He tried to though, but Mr Hanssen came to my rescue."

The officer look up at Henrik. "Sounds like you're a hero."

"I wouldn't say that," he mumbled, staring back at Serena.

They gave their statements and weren't entirely surprised when the police had not found Billy. It seemed he had climbed out of the window in Henrik's room and escaped into the darkness. The man certainly knew how to evade the police, but then he had obviously had a significant amount of experience.

"We would be happier if you could stay at a hotel for tonight," the officer was saying to Henrik. "Just until we can be sure the suspect is not intent on coming back to find you."

"Of course," Henrik nodded, noticing Serena coming down the stairs with her overnight bag already packed. She looked exhausted and absolutely drained. He felt terribly sorry for her. "I need to go pack an overnight bag," he whispered to the officer. "Would you mind staying with her until I return?"

"That's no problem," the officer replied, nodding in agreement with the gesture as he glanced over at Serena. The woman looked traumatized.

Serena sat on the couch, staring numbly at her hands as she waited for Henrik to come downstairs. The officer had attempted small talk, but she was just not in the mood for it.

Henrik finally came down the stairs, carrying his overnight bag and a large black coat.

"It's about time," Serena snapped. "I swear you take longer than a woman."

The officer gave Henrik a sympathetic smile. "I can drop you off at a hotel."

"We're perfectly capable of driving ourselves there. Billy hasn't stolen my car . . . yet."

"Understood. I'll follow you to which ever hotel you choose. It would be best if we stayed in touch. I'll send a patrol car around every couple of hours to ensure you're both alright."

"Can we just _go_?" Serena got up, grabbing her bag and heading out to her car.

"Be patient with her," the officer said to Henrik. "It's been a traumatic time."

Henrik nodded and followed Serena to her car. "And preferences on which hotel to go to?"

"I don't tend to use hotels here," she said, climbing into her car. "I usually have a home to go to."

"Would you like me to drive?"

"No," Serena glared at him. "It's _my_ car. Would _you_ allow _me _to drive _your_ car?"

"Good point, actually," Henrik smirked as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"In any case," Serena said as she climbed into the driver's seat. "You're too tall and you'd push the seat back and then I'd first have to get it back into place the next time I have to drive . . ."

"Point _taken_," Henrik held his hands up in surrender.

Serena glanced at him. "Sorry," she breathed, pulling away from the pavement and glancing in the rear view mirror to see if the officer was actually going to follow them or not. "I guess I'm just wound a little tight."

"It's completely understandable."

"I just thought this nightmare was finally over and now . . ." she trailed off, her eyes fixated on the road ahead.

"We mustn't allow him to beat us," Henrik said sternly.

"I think he's already done that," she held her arm up to show of the bruises.

"I mean mentally and emotionally," he replied.

"I know what you _meant_," she snapped.

"Well I'm pleased he hasn't managed to take the _fight_ out of you."

"_No one_ can manage that," she smiled.

"Obviously. I think God himself would have trouble with that."

Serena couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, I'll be nice - but only for tonight."

"I won't believe it until I see it."

* * *

They had managed to book adjoining rooms at a nearby hotel and had exchanged contact details with the police before they were finally left to their own devices. Serena finally picked the brightest room after much deliberating, leaving Henrik with the darker one. She had finished getting changed into her pyjamas an brushed her teeth when her heart started racing. There was no particular reason for it. She felt her hands start to shake and the overwhelming urge to bolt out the door took hold as she knocked heavily at Henrik's door before pushing it open.

Henrik was lying in bed with a book in his hands. He peered at her over the rim of his glasses. "Everything okay?"

"I can't be in there," she blurted out, motioning towards her room.

"Ms Campbell, if you want to switch rooms again, I'm afraid it's far too late."

"No," she rested her hand just underneath her collar bone, as if trying to calm her raging heart down. "I mean, I can't be in there . . . by myself."

Henrik stared back at her for a moment as if deciding what to do. He finally reached across to the other side of the bed and tossed the duvet aside for her to get in.

Serena wasn't sure it was the best move, but she was certain she wouldn't be able to sleep by herself after what had happened. Each time she closed her eyes, she could feel Billy beside her, waiting to pounce.

Henrik seemed to realize this too. "If this gets out to anyone, I shall know it came from you," he said as he watched her climb in beside him, snuggling under the duvet. "And steps will be taken."

"What kind of steps?" she asked mischievously.

"Steps that will almost certainly put your career in jeopardy," he said, focusing his attention back on the book in his hand.

"You mean you'll _tell_ on me?" Serena smiled.

"Rumours will most certainly be circulated. Whether I have anything to do with them or not remains to be seen," the corners of his lips twitched upwards as he said it.

"What kind of rumours, pray tell?"

"That the clinical executive director of surgery refuses to sleep in her own bed. Rumours like that can be spread in many different ways by many different people and could end up meaning something very different."

Serena playfully slapped Hanssen's arm before rolling onto her side. Her panic attack and quickly subsided and she felt safe knowing Henrik was beside her. "What are you reading?"

"A book on philosophy. It's called Signature of the cell."

"Hmmm," she felt her mind drifting off and then suddenly felt as though she was falling off of a cliff and jolted back to consciousness.

Henrik placed a hand on her arm. "It's okay," he said soothingly.

"Sorry," she mumbled, rolling onto her back. "I dozed off."

"That was fast," Henrik smiled. "But it's not as though we've had a lot of sleep."

Serena nodded, glancing at the book he was still holding. "How's the book?"

"Very interesting, actually."

"Maybe you can read it to me?"

Henrik raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to bring you some cookies and milk whilst I'm at it?" he asked sarcastically.

"_No_," Serena playfully glared at him.

Henrik took a deep breath, adjusting his glasses before he started reading out loud.

Serena hid her smile under the duvet, knowing that Henrik would notice it and question her on it. She hadn't realized Henrik could be so soft. She liked listening to his voice; it wasn't overbearing or monotonous. It was soothing and seemed to lull her to sleep.

Henrik woke up as he felt someone move beside him. He glanced over and relaxed when he realized it was Serena; she was still there, safe and sound. She looked incredibly peaceful in her sleep. He wished she could feel like that all the time, but they had been through too much. Perhaps in time she would come to forget most of it. He most certainly felt like it had transformed his life. His thoughts flew back to Billy. He would have killed him if Serena had not intervened. His reaction had been a combination of anger and fear. He had been furious when he saw Billy on top of Serena and the look of fear on her face had pushed him beyond the verge of rationality. But he had been afraid for both himself and for Serena as well. The combination of which could have resulted in him actually killing a man. The thought was concerning. He had always been able to control his emotions. This trauma had seemingly effected both of them.

He glanced over to check the time and was surprised when he saw how late it was. It was nearly midday. He turned back to Serena when he felt her begin to stir. She reached behind her back, her hand falling onto his stomach. "You're still here," she mumbled into her pillow. "Good."

"Would you like me to order some lunch?"

"Lunch?" She rolled over to face him. Her hair standing on end.

"It is indeed already midday."

"_What_?" Serena sat up straight.

"Don't worry. It's still Sunday. We only have work tomorrow."

Serena relaxed a little. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long."

Serena tried to smooth her hair down, with no success. "I'm going to shower."

"Shall I order room service?"

"Okay," she mumbled as she stretched her arms out before rolling out of bed and shuffling back to her room, keeping the adjoining door open.

Henrik had ordered them both a variety of sandwiches before taking a very quick shower himself. He had just stepped out in his neatly pressed suit when he noticed Serena standing by the window, dressed in a fluffy white robe. She looked beautiful.

"Sandwiches okay?" He asked, startling her.

"Fine," she gave him a sheepish smile as she moved away from the window and headed over to the table, giving him an odd look.

Henrik took a seat opposite her, pouring them both a cup of tea. He noticed her scrutinizing him from the corner of his eye. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she grimaced. "Every muscle in my body hurts."

"I know the feeling," he nodded.

"Why are you dressed?" She asked curiously.

Henrik raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather me not wear any clothes?"

Serena nearly choked on her tea.

Henrik smirked at her reaction and proceeded to pick out a sandwich, watching as she composed herself.

"I meant, why are you dressed _up_?" she swallowed.

"I see no point in lazing about in my pyjamas all day."

"Why not?"

"Are you intending on lazing about in that robe all day?"

"No," Serena picked out a sandwich. "I fully intend on getting out of it," she smiled mischievously.

This time it was Henrik's turn to choke on his sandwich. He quickly reached over for his tea to water it down.

Serena smiled brightly, pleased with herself for getting back at him. "I'll need to head down to the business centre to log onto my E-mails later. There will no doubt be a hundred and one people to get back to. And I need to finish that report."

Henrik nodded. "I'll join you."

They finished up and headed down to the reception of the hotel, running into a police officer who informed them that they were still searching for Billy and that they might have a lead on his whereabouts. They continued to the business centre, each busy with their own E-mails and their own work. Taking a short break for dinner, they continued with their work until it was time for bed. They both had to be up early the next morning to get to the hospital and there would no doubt be a lot of questions.

Serena once again slept in Henrik's bed. He would never admit it, but he rather enjoyed having a warm body beside him at night. It was comforting to know someone else was there in the middle of the night. He had struggled to get the image of Serena in a bath robe out of his mind all afternoon, and now he was lying next to her in bed. It didn't make things any easier that she had rolled over and was literally inches away from his body. He closed his eyes, content with listening to her breathe. He would do everything in his power to ensure she stayed that way.

* * *

Serena and Henrik stepped into the lift at Holby General. They had come in extra early, so that they would have time to get reacquainted with everything before being bombarded with questions relating to what had happened over the weekend.

"Good luck," Serena whispered to Henrik as she stepped out of the lift and onto Kellar, turning to give him a reassuring smile before the doors closed. She kept her head down and moved towards her office, hoping no one would be in early.

"Ms Campbell!" Nurse Chantelle Lane called from the nurses' station.

Serena groaned inwardly, looking up at the expectant young woman. "Morning nurse Lane."

"Are you okay, Ms Campbell? Mr Spence said you and Mr Hanssen had had some trouble."

"Did he now?" Serena shook her head, making a mental note to kill Michael when she saw him. "It was absolutely nothing."

"What happened to your throat? Is that a bruise?" Antoine Malik asked as he came to stand in front of her.

"Why is everyone in early today?" Serena sighed.

"Ric said you and Mr H might need some support after what happened," Malik answered.

"Oh for heaven sake," Serena rolled her eyes. "Is there anyone who _doesn't_ know?"

"Ms Campbell, I just heard," Professor Elliot Hope called as he stepped out of the lift. "Are you both alright?"

Serena sighed heavily. She couldn't snap at the elderly man after seeing the genuine concern in his eyes. "I'm fine. Henrik's fine. We're all fine."

"I brought you some coffee," Elliot passed her a cup. "Thought you could do with it."

"So, Ric said you two got involved with drug dealers," Malik said.

"We didn't get _involved_ with them," Serena snapped. "Henr - Mr Hanssen's car broke down and we couldn't get a signal to call for help, so we walked and stumbled upon them."

"And then you got involved with them," Malik nodded, waiting expectantly for her to elaborate.

"Mr Malik . . ." she started, but was cut off by a nurse passing her a bouquet of flowers.

"They were handed in to reception for you," the woman said.

Serena raised an eyebrow. She didn't have any admirers that she knew of. She snatched the note off of the top, aware of everyone's eyes on her. "Don't any of you have work to do?"

"My shift only starts in an hour," Malik answered.

Serena shook her head with a smile as she opened the card. Her heart practically jumped into her throat at the words written down: _Vengeance is mine_. Serena felt sick to her stomach as she dropped the flowers to the ground. She heard Chantelle ask if she was alright as she spun around and raced to the lift, slamming against the call button as hard as she could.

"Ms Campbell?" Malik called after her, noticing how pale she'd become.

The lift finally opened and she pushed her way through the group of people who were stepping off of it. She pressed a button and leaned against the side of the lift to steady herself, taking in a few deep breaths. She ignored the curious looks coming from the few people who were still in the lift.

As soon as the door opened, she raced down the hallway to Henrik's office, pausing as she noticed his key still in the door. Fighting back fear, she grabbed the door handle and twisted it, allowing the door to swing open. Henrik was standing behind his desk, his hands in the air.

"Henrik," she whispered as she took a step into the office.

"Get out," he said with a pleading look in his eyes, before glancing towards the back of the room.

Serena's eyes followed his gaze and fell on a figure standing nearby the wall.

"Hello again, sweetheart," Billy called to her. He was holding a shotgun.

"Let Ms Campbell go," Henrik said. "This has nothing to do with her. She's an innocent victim in all of this."

"I'm not leaving"," Serena heard herself say.

"You see, doc?" Billy smiled. "She likes a bit of rough."

Serena pushed the door shut behind her.

"What are you doing?" Henrik growled at her. "Get _out!_"

"I'm not leaving you," she whispered.

"Well then, it looks like we have a party here," Billy chuckled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay in updating. Have been moving and without internet, phones etc! This is possibly the last chapter. Thank you again for the reviews and for reading!x**

Serena watched the concern etched in Henrik's face as Billy motioned for her to move away from the door. Billy looked as though he had used some of the drugs he was selling. His pupils were the size of olives and he had a glazed over look. She instinctively headed towards Henrik who in turn moved in front of her as if to shield her from any danger.

"For once in your life, you should have _listened_," Henrik snapped.

"Oh, well, you're welcome for me trying to help you," she snapped back.

"And how is you being held hostage along with me any _help_?"

"It's better than being alone."

"And once again, your logic is impeccably flawed," Henrik glanced back at her.

"Excuse me?" she glared back at him. "What do you mean by _'once again'_?"

"This isn't exactly the first time you've made an error in judgement."

"Oh, only _you_ would bring that up in the middle of a crisis!"

"I wouldn't have to if you would just _listen_ to others."

"I'm sorry to interrupt this little domestic," Billy smirked as he moved a chair against the door, lodging it under the handle so that no one could get into the room. "But we need to have a little discussion."

"Go ahead," Serena snapped, moving out from behind Henrik. "It's all _his_ fault anyway."

"Blaming someone else again?" Henrik started, noticing the look on her face. She was trying to distract Billy and he immediately understood her plan. They needed to inform security and warn the rest of the hospital. "How typical. That's not the first time either."

"I wouldn't have to blame anyone if they were capable of doing their own jobs."

"So you're saying I'm not capable of doing my job?"

"Let's just say I am confident I would do a better job," she leaned against the desk, very cautiously lifting the receiver behind her back and discreetly dialling down to security. Her finger ran over the keypad as she tried to figure out where the correct numbers were situated.

"I don't think that's possible," Henrik took a step forward, ensuring Billy's eyes were on him. "No one trusts you enough to let you lead them."

"This coming from the man who packs up and leaves for months on end without letting anyone know where he is," Serena snorted. "I'm not surprised we've ended up locked in your office with a crazy man pointing a gun at the two of us, Mr Hanssen," Serena said as loudly as she could, knowing that the security guards would be able to hear her through the receiver which she had quietly placed beside the phone on Henrik's desk.

"Well, perhaps if you had left when I told you to, Ms Campbell, we would not be in this position."

"And maybe you wouldn't both be about to die," Billy said as a gunshot rang out, causing part of Henrik's desk to explode, sending splinters of wood flying through the air. Henrik had grabbed Serena and pushed her to the floor, covering her with his own body. They both watched as Billy ripped the phone wires from the wall. "I'm not as dumb as I look!"

Serena tried to get up, but Henrik's weight against her forced her to stay down. "Don't move," he whispered into her ear. She could barely hear him through the ringing in her ears.

"Now, you two ruined a good operation," Billy hissed as he came to stand above them. "If you'd just done what was asked of you, we wouldn't be in this position and I just may have let you go."

"That was never an option," Henrik replied. "You were never going to let us go. Not after what we had seen."

Billy acknowledged him with a smirk. "But I would have given you a painless death."

There was a loud banging against the door. "Mr Hanssen! Ms Campbell! Is everything alright in there?"

Serena exchanged a look with Henrik. They both knew this was not going to end well. Billy was here for revenge and he was obviously not concerned with being caught. One or all of them were going to end up being hurt or killed.

Billy shot a hole through the door, filling the air with the burning smell of gun powder. "Which one of you dies first?"

Serena hadn't even registered the question. Her thoughts were with the man on the opposite side of the door who had fallen silent. She wondered if Billy had managed to shoot him.

Henrik quickly got to his feet, peering out the window. He was relieved to see the staff and patients outside. They were being evacuated from the building just as a couple of police cars raced into the car park. "Me," he said to Billy. "I will die first."

"_Are you out of your mind_?" Serena's voice bellowed from the floor. She pushed herself up. "Have you _finally snapped_?"

Henrik gave her a warning look. "Stay out of this."

"No," she snapped. "What makes you think you get to decide which one of us dies first?"

Billy watched them, cautiously glancing back at the door.

"This is hardly the time to argue," Henrik replied.

"Arguing comes so easily to us."

"Mr Hanssen?" A voice called from outside the door again. "This is PC Baker, with the police. Is everyone alright in there?"

"Stay away!" Billy shouted.

Serena felt Henrik's hand on her arm and turned to look at him. He was standing by the open window, staring back at Billy who had moved towards the door and was shouting profanities at the police.

Serena knew that look. She had seen it a couple of times before and it usually meant trouble. She moved towards him.

"Out," he whispered, motioning for her to climb out the window.

She took a deep breath and did what she was told, very carefully and quietly climbing out onto the ledge. She leaned against the wall, trying not to look down as she waited for Henrik to join her. The staff were running around beneath them. Serena felt Henrik touch her hand, encouraging her to start moving along the ledge. They both started moving as fast as they could, trying to get away from Billy while he was still distracted by the policeman.

"Serena?" Michael's voice rang out from the car park. "What the hell are you doing up _there_?"

Serena and Henrik both froze, glancing back at the window. Just as they thought Billy had perhaps been too busy screaming at the policeman to notice Michael's voice, his head appeared out the window.

"GET BACK IN HERE!" he screamed, raising his weapon and shooting at them. The bullet crashed into the wall just above Henrik's head. The staff and patients beneath them all started scrambling for cover. Serena had reached the end of the ledge and was relieved to see the next part of the building had a much lower roof which she almost happily jumped on to. They heard another loud gunshot, followed by another. Henrik jumped onto the roof after Serena, losing his balance slightly and tipping backwards. Serena reached out for him and pulled him towards her, stumbling backwards and onto the cemented roof. Henrik collapsed on top of her as they heard police shout: "We've got him!"

Serena closed her eyes for a second, trying to slow her heavy breathing down.

"Perhaps we should start using the door when exiting buildings," Henrik spoke.

"And lose our adventurous, wild reputation?" Serena snorted as Henrik tried to shift his weight off of her.

"You're right; people might start to talk."

Serena looked up at him, noticing a small scratch on his head. "Are you okay?" she reached up to touch him.

"Fine," he nodded, allowing her fingers to examine his temple. "Are you?"

"Well," she breathed. "You're kind of crushing me."

Henrik grimaced, quickly moving off of her and lying on his back beside her on the roof. "Sorry."

"That's okay. I've been wondering what it would be like to be underneath you all day," she smiled mischievously. "Didn't disappoint."

The sudden look of surprise in Henrik's face was replaced with a look of amusement. "I'll keep that in mind."

Serena gave him a curious look, before resting her head against his chest. "You know, all this action and people trying to kill us is a real turn on," she said breathlessly.

Henrik raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Oh _absolutely_," she smiled.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I singlehandedly took on a rather large gunman?"

Serena chuckled into Henrik's shirt.

"It's a story full of action," Henrik continued, smiling as Serena moved up to his lips, kissing him softly. "With guns," he kissed her back. "And people running around, trying to kill each other."

"I think we should discuss this in private," Serena smiled into Henrik's lips. "It's clearly a traumatic moment."

"Perhaps I can tell you about it back at the hotel?"

"Okay," she smiled, nodding. "As long as we use the _door _to leave. I don't think we have a swimming pool on site."

"Well that just _ruins_ our dramatic exit," Henrik smiled.


End file.
